Belle Vernon to hire Andrisko as baseball coach
Rob Burchianti/For the Observer-Reporter
By John Sacco
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
The Belle Vernon Area School District Board of Directors will formally vote Tuesday to appoint Taylor Andrisko as the Leopards’ new baseball coach, succeeding Tony Watson.
According to Friday’s release from the office of Dr. Timothy Glasspool, Belle Vernon superintendent, the “appointment follows a competitive search process that attracted a very deep pool of highly qualified candidates.”
Andrisko has been the head coach at California High School the past three seasons and led the Trojans to the WPIAL championship game in 2023.
The release stated: “Coach Andrisko brings a proven record of success, leadership and player development to the Leopards’ dugout.”
Andrisko went to California after serving as an assistant to Luke Mollis at Charleroi for three years. The Trojans had an 8-10 record this past season.
“My three years at California were unbelievable,” Andrisko said. “The support my staff and I received from the administration and in the community was overwhelming. I can’t say enough good things about the school district, the administration and the kids there.
“I want to make sure everybody knows that this had absolutely nothing to do with California. The relationships that I built there over three years are so special to me. I loved every second of it. But, yes, moving forward to Belle Vernon is just an opportunity for me and my staff to grow and move up to a bigger district and a bigger community. It is just such a wonderful opportunity to take the next step. To do so in a community that’s so rich and with such athletic pride and tradition, it was too good to be true.”
The district opened Watson’s position in June. He led Belle Vernon to the Class 4A baseball semifinals in 2024. The opening caught the 1993 Belle Vernon graduate by surprise.
Watson coached the Leopards to the WPIAL playoffs three times in his five seasons at the helm.
Belle Vernon, the fifth seed in the postseason, defeated Derry, 7-0, and Beaver, 5-0, in this season’s playoffs before losing to eventual PIAA and WPIAL champion Indiana in the semifinals.
The Leopards’ past season ended with a 7-3 loss to Central Valley in the third-place consolation game. Belle Vernon finished with a 16-8 record.
In 2024, the Leopards won their first WPIAL section title since 2012 and the program’s fifth overall.
Belle Vernon qualified for the playoffs in 2021.
In addition to coaching, Andrisko, 34, designs and implements individualized training programs focusing on skill development, strength and conditioning, and collegiate exposure at the Rays Baseball Institute.
His coaching resume also includes leadership roles in AAU baseball, and assistant basketball coaching positions.
Glasspool said in the release, “Coach Andrisko’s passion for the game, dedication to player development, and track record of building successful programs make him an exceptional choice to lead our baseball program. We are confident that his leadership will continue BVA’s tradition of excellence.”
Andrisko, who resides in Carroll Township, said Friday his staff at California is going with him to Belle Vernon. That group includes Ben Carson (outfield coach), Phil Mariani (infield coach) and Nathan Zemany, who Andrisko said wears “many hats.”
“I will be working with pitchers and catchers,” the coach added.
Darwin Manges, athletic director at California, described Androsko as organized and energetic and he wishes him luck.
“I’m sure our kids are disappointed,” Manges said. “We’ll start the process (to replace Andrisko) Monday.”
Andrisko’s first act will be to speak with the entire team and then plan for fall ball.
“The cupboard is not bare,” he said. “You know you can look at this roster coming back and say they graduated a lot and that’s the truth. They graduated a ton of pitching and a ton of very important seniors. There’s also a lot of underclassman who had some important roles. It’s going tobe a lot of fun.”